Recipe: Cherry Cheesecake Brownies

What more can I say? This Cherry Cheesecake Brownie with it's combination of an ooey gooey brownie base…. a sweet cream cheese layer swirled with cherry pie filling…. simply addictive! …just ask my son… who simply worked his way through the batch one piece at a time… well maybe two pieces at a time or two…

The brownie layer can be made from scratch… or from a brownie mix… just use your favorite… and if you like cake-like brownies.. bake it for the time listed… if you like a gooey brownie better.. bake it a bit less… either way… you can’t go wrong with this recipe.

TIPS

As I mentioned … you can use a box mix for the brownie layer or my brownie recipe.. either one will work just fine.

I use Philadelphia brand Cream Cheese… in my opinion it’s the best.. and why skimp on something that tastes this good.

Click here for instructions to soften cream cheese quickly (if you don’t wait for it at room temperature).

You can make this with a lower fat cream cheese… just substitute it for the regular cream cheese.

The easiest way to spread the cream cheese mixture over the brownie layer is to drop spoonfuls all over the brownie layer.. then gently spread it with the back of a spoon.

Make sure to line your pan with foil and have it over hang a bit over the side so you can easily lift it out of the pan. It will lift out easiest after cooling completely. The stronger the foil … the easier it will be.

Move quickly because if it isn’t completely cooled it may want to break apart on the lift out of the pan… grab opposite ends and lift quickly .. onto a cutting board that you have next to the pan.

Don’t over swirl this… just enough to get the pie filling “anchored” into the cheesecake layer.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container… don’t worry about it taking up too much room… it won’t be around long… for sure!








Recipe: Cherry Cheesecake Brownies

All you need:

For the Brownie Layer:

Homemade recipe or
Your favorite brownie mix, mixed according to package instructions

Cheesecake Layer:

2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling

All you need to do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil (non-stick foil works best).

Spray the foil with cooking oil spray (butter flavor preferred).. spray even if you are using non-stick foil.

Mix the brownies according to the recipe or the box instructions.

Spread the brownie mix evenly into the prepared pan.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla.

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the brownie layer (see Tips)

Drop spoonfuls of cherry pie filling over the cream cheese layer, using the entire can of pie filling.

Using a knife, swirl the pie filling and the cream cheese mixture. It’s okay if you get some of the brownie layer in the swirl… but I would try and avoid that as much as possible… just don’t put the knife all the way down to the bottom of the pan when you are swirling.

Bake for 50-55 minutes (50 minutes should be a little gooey … 55 minutes the brownies will be a bit more cakey). The center will still jiggle a little if you shake it when you take it out of the oven).

Cool for at least 4 hours.

After cooling completely, lift the brownies out of the pan using the foil… place on a cutting board and cut into squares.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.